Not a Mermaid
by Right-2-Left
Summary: Collection of drabbles/oneshots for Kaldur Week. Various ratings. Most will take place in my Maelstrom-verse.
1. Tiresome

**Story Note(s): This is a tribute to Kaldur Week (from Sept 29/30 – Oct 7, yes it's more than a week). I decided to just shove my updated version of **_**Maelstrom**_** in there for the first day. Shhhh, I cheated. **

**The titles for each chapter will be the prompt provided for the day.**

_All characters, settings etc associated with Young Justice and DC are not owned by me. I merely own the plot and unfamiliar characters/organizations and am not making any profit off this fiction venture._

* * *

**Chapter Rating: T (for bullying)**

**Chapter Synopsis: Kalla begins to stop trying to be friends with the kids who do the hurting but are never hurt themselves. [Oneshot – fem!Kaldur and Calvin Durham]**

**Verse: YJ-Maelstrom (wherein Kaldur is a cis female, and there's lots of history created by moi)**

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_**Chapter Warning(s): physical/verbal bullying**_

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**Tiresome**

oOoOo

**tire·some**

[**tahy**_**uh**_**r**-s_uh_m]

_**adjective**_

**1.** causing or liable to cause a person to tire; wearisome: _a tiresome job._

**2.** annoying or vexatious.

oOoOo

Kalladura'ham approaches the other kids at school, smiling, waving, every single week. She brings a "new" toy usually. Sometimes it's an Atlantean toy that was charmed specially, and those days are always fun, but the truly special days are when she brings a surface-world toy. Despite what the parents of the other kids say – the surface-world is dangerous, the surface-world is scary, the surface-world is primitive – they're still kids and the foreign toys are new and exciting.

She brings a plastic toy train one day. It doesn't work as well underwater, but there are no trains in Atlantis like the ones on the surface-world so the other kids are excited by it anyway. Kalla's cousin, whom she got the train from, hasn't played with it since she was 8 and when she claimed it was a "little kid's toy." Kalla stopped playing with it then, trusting her human cousin's greater knowledge of all things surface-world to advise her on appropriate toys for nine-year-old human girls. The Atlantean kids don't care what some human kid says about it though. It's new, it's exciting, it's colourful, and therefore it gains their attention.

Kalla bites her tongue when they take the toy train from her after school. She doesn't protest when they declare that even though surface-dwellers are "primitive and uncultured" – the kids don't know what that means, but their parents said it so it must be true – they make good toys. Kalla doesn't explain how the train is supposed to be used, how it works on the surface. She doesn't offer to bring out a tablet with the photographs of trains that Calvin got for her. She just watches as the kids marvel over the new toy, a hopeful smile spreading across her face. Maybe today they'll even let her play with them!

Soon though, the kids are swimming away with the toy train in their hands. Kalla remains by the school, her eyes slowly widening as the kids get further and further away, her cousin's toy gripped tightly in their hands.

"Wait!" she shouts, flinging her hands into the air, desperation piercing her words. "Wait!"

She's never been able to shout very loud though. She's never been very loud at all, and the exciting kids usually ignore her anyway. They don't like her gills or her webbing, and some of them even dislike her hair. She's heard lots of them call her a know-it-all, but she just does her homework and enjoys reading about stuff that happened in the past! Why does that make her a know-it-all?

Before she's realizing what she's doing she's swimming after the other kids. They're laughing now. They've separated the caboose and engine from the rest of the train cars, and they're slamming them against the rocks. They're making noises that they think are the noises real surface-world trains make and they're yelling. They're shouting. They're _loud_.

"They're invading Atlantis!"

"Take them down!"

"Make it explode!"

Kalla doesn't like shouting. She remembers people shouting when she was little. The memories are vague, blurry, but she remembers people shouting, she remembers Matim picking her up, concern twisting her face, and urging Kalla to be quiet. She remembers gunshots and fights. She remembers that whenever there was shouting when she was little she was always scared and confused, uncertain.

Kalla doesn't like shouting.

But that's her cousin's train. She'll shout to keep it safe, so she does, "You're breaking it!"

Sha'ran, the leader of the gang of kids, scoffs at her. He rolls his eyes and holds up the engine he was just attacking with a blast of poorly controlled magic, "We're not _breaking_ it. We're _saving Atlantis_."

"But-"

"We're saving Atlantis from the Humans on the train," he says, as if she's an idiot. "They're gonna put toxins in our homes and make everyone sick, and then they'll keep taking our food until they start _eating us_," he leans toward his friends, plastering on a frightening expression.

"Humans aren't gonna eat us," Kalladura'ham protests as his friends display mock fright. "They just need to learn how to fish properly. That's all. Can I have the train back, please?"

"No. It's mine now."

Kalla can feel dread seeping through her body. Calvin told her that she could take the train to school as long as she only took it out afterwards and brought it back home in pristine condition. She can see dents in the plastic, though scratches on the wheels, and the engine is being burnt. Kalla knows that isn't pristine condition. It looks terrible.

"But I need to bring it back," Kalla objects weakly, reaching out for the train. "I need to bring it back to my cousin."

"Your human cousin," Sha'ran hisses. "Your cousin is stupid."

Kalla knows she shouldn't do it but she hates it when people insult her family.

She shouts and grabs for the engine in Sha'ran's hand, "She is not!"

He drops the engine and punches her in the gut, a grin on his face. He had been trying to make her angry. It's the second time this week.

She buckles over but instantly ignores the pain. She darts around Sha'ran and leaps into the group of kids. Her hands wrap around the caboose and a middle car when Sha'ran shouts and suddenly two of his friends are on top of her.

She knows she isn't supposed to use her magic against them. She knows Matim said to only use the fighting stuff she taught her on the bad guys. And these are her classmates so they aren't bad. They can't be. They're her friends, almost. Right?

She blocks the blows to her head and takes the ones to her belly. When the attacks finally stop she can feel bruises forming on her stomach and forearms. Someone kicked her in the thigh and a bruise is forming there as well. She pushes herself up, hearing the kids swimming away, laughing. They don't notice her getting up. Or, they don't care.

Kalla doesn't particularly care. The pieces of Pansy's toy train are scattered two metres in front of her and she knows that even though Pansy claimed she didn't care about the toy, she does. She'll be hurt if she doesn't get it back, in perfect condition or not. With that in mind, Kalla quickly gathers the pieces of the toy train, glances back in the direction Sha'ran and his friends went, then goes the opposite direction. She takes the long way home, through alleys and back paths. She doesn't want to have to answer questions from people or endure their stares, either because of her hair or her bruises and surface-world toy. She just wants to go home.

"Kalla, how was-" Calvin stops abruptly upon seeing the nine-year-old in the entry. Her forearms are bruised and while she's holding the pieces of the toy train she's also holding her belly gingerly. Immediately, he takes the pieces of the toy train from her and crouches, "What happened? Who did this to you?"

"I fell," she explains.

"No you didn't," he says, examining the bruises on her forearms. "Was it the kids at school again?"

She doesn't say anything so Calvin takes that as a yes.

"Come on, let's get you cleaned up. Where's your schoolbag?"

Kalla's eyes widen. She looks at the floor, "I-I forgot it at school. I was trying to get the train back and I left it there."

"That's okay. We can pick it up later and explain to your instructor why you couldn't do any homework. They took the train?"

"Yes," Kalla nods, giving up the attempt to claim she fell. "They would not give it back, even when they started pretending that it was attacking Atlantis and they started attacking it back so now it's broken too."

"It'll be fine, Kalla," Calvin promises, hugging her tightly. "Pansy isn't gonna care. She just wants you to be okay. Why do you try and hang out with those kids anyway? They hurt you. Friends don't do that."

"I…because I…I want to," Kalladura'ham says. "No one hurts them. I do not…I do not want to be hurt so if I'm with them then I won't be hurt."

"But they hurt other kids don't they?"

Kalla nods.

"If you become a part of their group don't you think that they'll just make you hurt other kids?"

"Um...maybe?"

"Do you want to hurt other kids?"

"No."

"Then you know what you should do, right?"

Kalladura'ham nods, not wanting to resign herself to spending the next couple years alone or with the kids who get hurt, but aware that if she doesn't then she'll just hurt other people. She doesn't want to hurt other people.

Calvin squeezes her hands comfortingly, "Come on, let's get you cleaned up and then we'll have some fun."

"Calvin…I'm tired of trying to be their friend. Of being hurt by them. How-how do I stop without them hurting me or other kids?"

"I'll help."

Kalladura'ham nods mutely, accepting that for the moment as he lifts her up, "M'kay. Thank you Calvin."

"No prob, Princess."

* * *

**A/N: **I find bullying and being nice to people who aren't nice to you rather tiresome. So.

**Hope you enjoy!**


	2. Soldier

**Story Note(s): This is a tribute to Kaldur Week (from Sept 29/30 – Oct 7, yes it's more than a week). **

**The titles for each chapter will be the prompt provided for the day.**

_All characters, settings etc associated with Young Justice and DC are not owned by me. I merely own the plot and unfamiliar characters/organizations and am not making any profit off this fiction venture._

* * *

**Chapter Rating: T (for military themes)**

**Chapter Synopsis: Orin outlines the expectations behind her new name, Aqualass, and Kalla wonders if she is getting in over her head. [Oneshot – fem!Kaldur, Orin]**

**Verse: YJ-Maelstrom (wherein Kaldur is a cis female, and there's lots of history created by moi)**

* * *

**Annex = King/My King/H(is/er) King etc. (refers to Orin)**

**Anassa = Queen/My Queen/H(is/er) Queen etc. (refers to Mera)**

_**Chapter Warning(s): military themes; talk of murder, torture, classism, discrimination, and all-around ambiguous monarchy morality**_

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**Soldier**

oOoOo

**sol·dier**

[**sohl**-jer]

_**noun**_

**1. **a person who serves in an army; a person engaged in military service.

**2. **an enlisted man or woman, as distinguished from a commissioned officer: _the soldiers' mess and the officers' mess._

**3. **a person of military skill or experience: _George Washington was a great soldier._

**4. **a person who contends or serves in any cause: _a soldier of the Lord._

**5. **Also called **button man.** _Slang_. a low-ranking member of a crime organization or syndicate.

oOoOo

Poseidonis is rebuilding. There are still scorch marks on some of the walls, residual magic from the Purists that dutifully followed Ocean Master, and there are some areas that are restricted from access due to the residual magic or fragile state of the structures in the area.

Kalladura'ham leaves the Conservatory and returns to the palace shortly after she accepts Annex's offer to become his protégé. Annex requests that she put her training at the Conservatory on hold for the first little bit, so that he can assess her skills and begin training her. While she resides in the palace she is put into one of the guest chambers. The guest chambers are too great for her, too beautiful, too much though. She doesn't dare take the bed in the chambers. She opts to sleep on the floor instead, the amount of change that has occurred in such a short amount of time jarring her core and making it difficult to accept anymore. The finery around her is unfamiliar. The people eager to serve her are almost frightening. The casual way in which Annex speaks to her is startling.

She is beginning to consider that perhaps she made a mistake. This is too much.

She isn't supposed to be speaking casually with the Royal Family, even if she does still salute before speaking to them (some measures of propriety and respect must be maintained). She's supposed to be a nameless, faceless soldier in the ranks of Atlantis. That is who she is supposed to become.

But.

The prospect of being recognized for her hard work. Of being respected despite her apparent impurities. Of learning even _more. _Those were seductive prospects and encouraged her to agree, to promise to become Aqualass to Annex's Aquaman. Soldiers do not go back on their promises.

She puts on what she hopes is a calm face. The servants bring her a uniform she is told is her training uniform. They lead her into the dining hall where she sits _beside_ Annex Orin, on his left side, across from Anassa Mera. Kalladura'ham has to curl her toes to keep her entire body from shaking. She says little, petrified of offending them, well aware of the historic treatment people like her have received from the monarchy.

Anassa says that she shouldn't be nervous.

Kalla says that she does not wish to offend, utilizing a blunt honesty that will be tempered by time.

Annex says that honesty between them – Aquaman and Aqualass – will be necessary. She should not hold back. What does she think they will do even if she, somehow, manages to offend them?

Kalladura'ham explains. Impure versus Pure. Blond(e) versus Not. The infamous trials that turned into Pure versus Impure with the positive bias resting on the pure. The infamous Curse of Kordax.

"I am blond as well," Annex points out.

Kalladura'ham doesn't think that counts. He is in charge of all of Atlantis and he is pure. He cannot know what the problems someone who is cursed – blonde – and impure faces. He cannot understand those fears.

She doesn't say anything else. They finish the morning meal and Anassa heads to the Consevatory. Annex has cleared his morning to work to Kalladura'ham. Kalla…isn't certain what to think of that. She follows him to his private training area silently but almost bursting with things to say, fears to express, doubts to indulge, marvels to exclaim. When they reach the large training area he almost immediately confronts her about the conversation at breakfast.

The large training area seems stifling then.

But she can find no reason to not speak. To simply remain silent and train. So, slowly, with much thought put into her words, Kalladura'ham explains.

"You are pure, blond, and the leader of all of Atlantis. I am impure, blonde, and of a low class." She pauses then adds, "I am also female, whereas you are male. In the times I have been on the surface I have been treated differently than my male cousin, not because of our ages, but because he is a boy and I am a girl."

Annex looks at her for a long moment. Then, softly, he remarks, "I believe that Atlantis needs someone who is not a copy of myself. Atlantis needs someone to represent not only those in my position, or those who are "pure," but someone who can represent everyone else. I believe you can do that, Kalladura'ham."

Her jaw tightens. She doesn't know what to say. How could he believe that? She's just a kid. A kid that has not lived in Atlantis her entire life.

"As for gender, while Atlantis may be slightly ahead of the surface-world in that, the Justice League is a terrible representation of Earth's population, gender-wise. There are more women than men on this planet, and yet there are only three publicly recognized female heroes. That is unacceptable." Annex puts a heavy hand on her shoulder and emphasises, "When you lead a nation, you become adept at noticing patterns in society. The time of the sidekicks is coming, and I do not intend for Atlantis to be left behind."

He removes his hand and says seriously, "You will be confronted by many terrible deeds and people, Kalladura'ham. You will see death, mutilation, and likely torture. You may find that Atlantis and I, that my wife and my brother, do not have hands that are blood free. You will witness problems that span past the divides set up in Atlantis and the surface-world. There will be meetings with dignitaries, with leaders from around the world, and you will be interviewed and photographed by the press. Your secrets will have secrets and you will be expected to follow my orders to the letter but still think independently. You will be expected to know more about Atlantean society than anyone should know. You will be expected to learn the names, abilities, and affiliations of every major criminal and network of Atlantis and the most powerful countries on the surface-world. You may be asked to go undercover for an extended amount of time. You _will_ be asked to utilize every single one of your skills. You will speak with spies and assassins, soldiers and leaders, civilians and league members. You will be expected to be loyal to Atlantis first-and-foremost." He pauses, studying her, "You know who the leader of the League is, right?"

Kalla nods, "Yes sir. Batman."

He confirms her answer with a nod, "There may come a time when Batman has one plan and I have another, or there will come a time when Batman questions my methods – such as when I or my people kill. Batman does not condone killing. I do, because unlike Batman I have a nation to lead and protect, and a military to command. When either, or both, of those times come, you will be expected to remain loyal to me."

She stares at him, wide-eyed. Quickly, she licks her lips then, softly, questions, "Pardon my…what if Batman is correct?"

A smirk spreads across his face, "Tell me why. Justify it. Convince me. I may change my mind."

Kalla feels like falling over. She had expected to be reprimanded for not simply saying 'of course, Annex'.

"An unquestioning automaton as a protégé is useless," Annex states. "Question my methods, question my motivations. Do not blindly trust me. I'm asking you to remain loyal not to me first, but to Atlantis. Do you understand why?"

She stares at him, wide-eyed, and nods, "Yes sir."

"Tell me why."

"Because…" she hesitates. "Because people change. They change not always for the better. People can be manipulated and used easier than entire nations can."

"Right," Orin nods, "and because sometimes what is best for Atlantis is not best for you or I. Sometimes, we have to make sacrifices. Practical sacrifices. For the good of Atlantis."

"My instructors mentioned that," she remarks. "They said that they do not want any of us – myself and my classmates – to become martyrs, because we cannot protect Atlantis, our families, when we're dead."

Annex doesn't speak. He exhales heavily and bends slightly to look her straight in the eye, "The topic of martyrs is a difficult one. Sometimes, they may rally a people together. Other times, they are just another death. You are not to be a martyr though, do you understand? I will never ask you to be one. I do not ever want you to be one."

Kalladura'ham nods quickly. His tone is frightening. Eventually, she will learn that when he uses that tone he is using his King Voice, the one that makes everyone in the room straighten up and take notice. A voice she will adopt and make her own after years of hearing his.

After a moment, Annex Orin adds, "By the way, if you wish to confront me regarding my methods or motivations and such, I ask that you do it to my face and in private."

The left corner of Kalladura'ham's mouth twitches in amusement but she quickly stifles it and nods, "Yes sir."

"Where is your loyalty first?" he asks, straightening up and plucking an impressive training sword from the weaponry wall.

"To Atlantis," she answers, watching as he grabs a second, slightly smaller, training sword.

"And second?" he questions, handing her the second sword.

"The League," she responds, testing the weight of the sword.

He moves forward, readying his training blade, "Will that ever change?"

"It will not."

His blade clashes with the edge of her own. She only hopes she can last a minute against him.

* * *

**A/N: **Um…so I don't actually know Orin that well. But he seems to have a fairly dry sense of humour (was that a pun? irony?) and I figure, being King of the largest nation on the planet would a) give him a bit of an ego & a "King Voice" and b) make his morality very-very grey in comparison to most of the League. I figure his perspectives on killing, espionage, and such, just general morality, is more in line with Wonder Woman's than, for example, Batman or Superman. After all, the guy does, unlike anyone else in the League – barring Wonder Woman, to a limited extent (she's Princess, not Queen) – have to lead, protect, and represent the largest, and one of the most powerful, nations on the planet. His situation is unique and I figure that would show in his methods.

He will always put the good of Atlantis before the League, and he would expect the same of his protégé. Leagues of twenty people can be rebuilt. Nations of billions cannot.

**Hybrid301: I'm glad you thought so! Your dedication to reviewing this stuff is much(ly) appreciated!**


	3. Clever

**Story Note(s): This is a tribute to Kaldur Week (from Sept 29/30 – Oct 7, yes it's more than a week). **

**The titles for each chapter will be the prompt provided for the day.**

_All characters, settings etc associated with Young Justice and DC are not owned by me. I merely own the plot and unfamiliar characters/organizations and am not making any profit off this fiction venture._

* * *

**Chapter Rating: T**

**Chapter Synopsis: A Fish runs into a Cat. Surprisingly, the Cat helps the Fish. Fish repays Cat. [Oneshot – fem!Kaldur, Catwoman, Robin]**

**Verse: YJ-Maelstrom ****(wherein Kaldur is a cis female, and there's lots of history created by moi)**

* * *

_**Chapter Warning(s): misogyny, brief sexual themes**_

* * *

**Clever**

oOoOo

**clev·er**

[**klev**-er]

_**adjective,**_**clev·er·er,****clev·er·est.**

**1.** mentally bright; having sharp or quick intelligence; able.

**2.** superficially skillful, witty, or original in character or construction; facile: _It__was__an__amusing,__clever__play,__but__of__no lasting__value._

**3.** showing inventiveness or originality; ingenious: _His__clever device__was__the__first__to__solve__the__problem._

**4.** adroit with the hands or body; dexterous or nimble.

**5.** _Older__Use__. _**a.** suitable; convenient; satisfactory. **b.** good-natured. **c.** handsome. **d.** in good health.

oOoOo

"Orin!" Black Canary declares, pausing at the Watchtower monitor room. She nods to Batman, "Batman."

The King of Atlantis turns slightly, arching an eyebrow, "Black Canary. How can I help you?"

"I'm kidnapping your protégé."

"Pardon?"

"You've seen the news, I assume?"

Orin sighs at the mention of the news and nods, "Yes."

"She's been on one public mission with you and it's resulted in an outrage from 'concerned parents' about how seeing a kid fight crime is going to be a bad influence." She narrows her eyes, "There wasn't that type of outrage when Speedy went public, because people seem to have no problems watching a boy beat up thugs. But then it's a girl, and suddenly, outrage and child endangerment!"

Having Aqualass' first unofficial crime-fighting public appearance to be in Gotham City was not ideal. Orin was well aware of that. People didn't much like Gotham City, even if they liked Batman, and the apparent myth that was Robin. He may have underestimated how severely the surface-world would react to Aqualass though. The insults were unwarranted and even though she was doing an admirable job of hiding it he had been getting better at reading Kalladura'ham and the insults bothered her. She was angry and hurt. He had tried speaking to her about it but she had shut down completely, nodding at the appropriate places and such but he didn't think she really took any of it in.

Maybe it just had been the wrong time to speak to her. Maybe he needed to wait for her to cool down before speaking to her about something that made her angry. Orin knows that that knowledge will just come in time as he gets to know her, but, frankly, he does not want to wait that long.

"I thought I left this behind in the fort-" Wonder Woman announces sharply, darting into the room and deftly avoiding Black Canary. She takes one look at Black Canary then states, "You've seen the news."

Black Canary nearly growls, "Yes." She looks at Orin, "Where is she?"

"Robin wanted to see how she patrolled, I believe," Orin says. Batman nods in confirmation so Black Canary nods, turns sharply, and strides out of the room.

"She may not be an official League member," says Wonder Woman, looking pointedly at Batman, "but the League should make a statement. It pertains to what we do, and, more importantly, it perpetuates the misogyny Man's World is sinking in. Which is something the League will never support."

Batman nods, barely glancing up from his work on the case of the valuable necklace stolen from a rather important philanthropist visiting Gotham for the week.

"I'll make a statement," Wonder Woman decides, ending the conversation.

oOoOo

The protestors gathered across the street are irritating Kalladura'ham.

They, like other protestors beginning to pop up in other cities, are protesting Aqualass' existence with signs that suggest she's a sign of child endangerment, that it's unethical to let a young girl fight dangerous criminals, and, laughably enough, that she doesn't have any training.

Technically speaking, she's the only protégé trained. Speedy and Robin weren't trained by anyone official in the crime-fighting – and similar – worlds, just vigilantes who managed to almost accidentally gain a respected position in the crime-fighting world that was, nevertheless, still technically an unofficial position. She, on the other hand, has multiple trainers. The time she has spent specifically training with Aquaman is minimal, and just enough for them to develop a system in working together and get comfortable with one another's skills. He is her public mentor and trainer, yes, but her technical, her most common, mentors and trainers are a multitude of other people. They're nearly all military. There are warriors, military leaders, political experts, historians, academics who know more about the Atlantean criminal underground than anyone else could ever hope to know. There are instructors who ensure her knowledge of politics, history, society, the sciences and the maths are up to par. There are people she has to report to regularly for rigorous physical, mental, magical, and emotional examinations and evaluations. She has to be at top form constantly, going through channel after channel, trainer after trainer, instructor after instructor, each one drilling her into becoming Aqualass. A symbol for Atlantis, an ambassador – she despises her speech lessons but loves her negotiation ones – and above all else an ideal representation of what it means to be Atlantean.

Crime-fighting is her _job_, her _career_, and her matim had told her last week that she was frightened it would become her _life._ It's a hobby for everyone else, even Annex, as he always has the option of putting away Aquaman and just being the King of Atlantis. The only other people in the League who can claim that their job is, essentially, crime-fighting, are the Green Lanterns. The Cops of Outer Space, with set rules and regulations they can't break. Just like she has rules and regulations, such as compiling a report on each mission and submitting it to Aquaman for review. She is trained. She is qualified. In fact, if she had expressed even a hint of not being ready then none of her trainers or instructors, much less Aquaman, would have let her pass through the final channel before being introduced to the surface-world.

She pointedly ignores the protests about her lack of strength. Clearly, they had no idea how strong even a weak Atlantean is. Ignorance.

Nevertheless, Kalladura'ham can feel her blood beginning to boil and reading the newspaper – apparently a necklace was stolen – does nothing to help. Usually reading, reading anything, helps calm her down. Not today.

"Ooooo, this is interesting," a sleek voice purrs.

Kalladura'ham whirls around and her eyes widen sharply at the sight of the buxom woman in the slim dark suit with purple highlights. Her hair is hidden beneath a hood with cat ears and her goggles give her the impression of large, cat-like eyes. Her gloves seem to have claws installed on them and the whip around her waist hangs lightly, giving the impression of a tail.

"Catwoman," the 14-year-old Atlantean-Human remarks calmly, sliding her feet beneath her as she reaches back to her waterbearers.

"Cats like fish, you know," Catwoman comments. She hisses as she walks forward, peering over the roof to across the street where the protestors are gathered. "That's interesting."

"What are you doing here?" Kalladura'ham questions, rising into a crouch.

"Be patient," Catwoman says, holding up her hand, from which dangles a necklace that was pictured on the front page of the local paper. A paper which is resting next to Kalladura'ham's feet.

"Hand over the necklace, Catwoman."

Catwoman chuckles, "Ah, no."

Promptly, she flips over the side of the building. Kalladura'ham shoots to her feet and reaches the edge of the building just as Catwoman leaps off the fire escape and slides down the ladder. The teenager leaps off the roof and rolls upon impact with the ground, absorbing the impact easily.

Catwoman darts past her deftly, revealing herself to the protestors in a startling move. Kalladura'ham follows swiftly, withdrawing one waterbearer and forming a whip as she reports over her com-link, "Aqualass to Robin. I am in pursuit of Catwoman. She is carrying the necklace that was recently stolen."

::: Finally! Stay on her. ::: is the response from the young boy. Clearly, he has been getting bored at the lack of action on their patrol.

The civilians scream and dart out of the way, some shouting obscenities at Catwoman. Catwoman vaults off one of the larger civilians, twists in the air, and lands in front of a car. Kalladura'ham, still in pursuit, hastily vaults over the sharply braking car as Catwoman rolls out of the way. In seconds Catwoman is back on her feet and darting towards a civilian.

Catwoman's claws are near the man's collarbone, her arm around his neck, when Kalladura'ham is two metres in front of them. Kalladura'ham freezes, reaching out to search for any water she can use.

Yes. Behind Catwoman there's a manhole covering the sewer.

Lots of water there.

Kalladura'ham's artificial channels glow and Catwoman's grip on the man tightens. She hisses, "You really don't want to try that, girl."

Water shoots up from the sewer, sending the manhole flying backwards and crashing onto the sidewalk. Catwoman abruptly releases the civilian and whirls around, her eyes widening as the sewer water morphs into the vague form of a giant serpent – Nessie perhaps – and rises above her.

Cats rarely appreciate water, even when it presumably suits them. Now is not one of those times.

Catwoman darts down the street, the serpent following her.

"Sir," a breath, "are you well?" Kalladura'ham questions, panting slightly from the effort of maintaining the serpent. Staring up at her, wide-eyed, the protestor nods mutely. Immediately, Kalladura'ham sprints after Catwoman, the water serpent before her falling apart.

She needs to work on that move. She can't sustain it for very long.

She darts around the corner she had glimpsed Catwoman darting around and almost immediately stops. She looks up, darts to the end of the alley, and looks down the street. There's no sign of the cat-themed Gothamite. Kalladura'ham sighs and returns to the street the protestors were on. Sharply, she pauses at the mouth of the alley then abruptly backpedals and crouches next to the garbage cans gathered next to a door in the alley. Nestled among the garbage is the necklace in all of its jewelled, shining glory. Kalladura'ham frowns, looks up, as if expecting to see Catwoman waving at her from the roof. With nothing to find she turns back to the necklace and informs Robin of the situation.

He meets her in the alley, incredulity dripping from every word, "She _dropped_ it?"

"It would appear so," Kalladura'ham says, gesturing to the necklace she didn't dare touch for fear of messing with Batman's and Robin's methods of crime-solving. They likely would not appreciate Atlantean fingerprints.

"Catwoman doesn't just drop stuff," Robin says. "She's _the_ cat-burglar."

Kalladura'ham adds, "She also attacked a civilian."

"She doesn't do that either."

Which is what Kalladura'ham had assumed, from her studies of Thieves with a special focus on Catwoman. Thieves had taken up a week of study last month. She had focused on Catwoman during the essay portion of the examination, finding the woman intriguing for her selectivity and methodology, and, frankly, she found the woman's insistence on flirting with Batman incredibly amusing. The flirting was according to the reports she had received from Aquaman to study which were, reportedly, put together by Batman himself so Kalladura'ham figured it was factual. She didn't dare ask how Aquaman got the reports. All evidence pointed to Batman keeping everything about his rogue's gallery sealed as tightly as possible and the fact that Aquaman managed to get them was mildly frightening. Still, the reports were hilarious. Batman seemed utterly befuddled about his first few encounters with Catwoman, her flirtation having thrown Batman off his game quite effectively.

The fact that flirting while in costume was so awkward for Batman was a neverending source of amusement for the teenage Atlantean. The fact that Catwoman used her femininity and sexuality to her advantage _constantly_ was something Kalladura'ham found impressive and uplifting. Honestly, it had been inevitable upon the inclusion of Catwoman in her education that Kalladura'ham wound up fascinated by the woman.

"The civilian is well," Kalladura'ham adds. "I was able to remove Catwoman from him with the water from the sewer."

Robin crinkles his nose in disgust as he looks out onto the street where discarded protest signs are. "That's disgusting," he comments. "Was the civilian she attacked one of those protestors?"

"Yes," she nods.

"Where there are no other protestors."

Kalladura'ham glances down the street, takes in the lack of the protestors, and confirms, "Yes."

"She must really dislike those protestors, heavy on the dis."

"That would not surprise me."

oOoOo

The disparaging news stories nearly stop all together. The protests in Gotham City stop completely. Cities across the country follow their lead. Soon, the only press criticizing Aqualass' existence are the ones few take seriously.

Wonder Woman's statement didn't bring up nearly as much positive press for Aqualass as her recovery of the necklace from Catwoman did.

Kalladura'ham feels as though she owes Catwoman something, at least a thank-you. She's fine with that, owing a criminal a thank-you. And in this case the criminal, according to all her research, operates in shades of grey, which is something Kalladura'ham of all people – with an ex-con father and a mother who considers laws to be more of suggestions – can appreciate.

It takes every connection Kalladura'ham has – which mostly amounts to Annex Orin – to find Catwoman's civilian ID – Selina Kyle – and send a beautifully wrapped packaged to her home with a note reading:

_Each piece is unique. _

_Impossible to be traced or tied back to either of you._

_Thanks._

A week later Kalladura'ham saw footage of Selina Kyle wearing a one-of-a-kind necklace and bracelet. Two days later the anklet and earrings showed up. Kalladura'ham figures that the older woman appreciated the gesture.

* * *

**A/N: **Because the misogyny I mentioned in Maelstrom didn't just come out of a vacuum. There were prior occurrences.

Admittedly, I don't know a ton about Catwoman/Selina Kyle. I figured she wouldn't mind Kalla and would very much mind misogyny.

I'm really of the opinion that Kalla doesn't care if you're considered a criminal or a hero by society at large, or even by people she respects. If you do something nice for her she'll do something nice back. If you do something that you didn't need to do, she'll thank you. If said thing doesn't do much for you, she'll give you a gift or something. She's one of those people.

**Lonely Bleeding Liar: I'm gonna be lazy and respond here. ... Go ahead, review when you want. I can hardly blame you for the first chapter, it's a difficult chapter to get through. I'm very happy you liked the Orin and Kalla interaction! I just love exploring it, it's such a unique mentorship I think, just because of Orin's responsibilities and Kaldur/Kalla's training, and their lack of any real relationship before being superheroes. It's absolutely fascinating tome.**

**Decepticon-silverstreak: Glad you enjoyed!**

**Guest: I'm not certain I understand? The next prompts are Time, Seeking, Accusation, and Mine. I could certainly try writing a Torpedo (Raquel/Kaldur) chapter?**

**Thanks all!**


	4. Seeking

**Story Note(s): This is a tribute to Kaldur Week (from Sept 29/30 – Oct 7, yes it's more than a week). **

**The titles for each chapter will be the prompt provided for the day.**

_All characters, settings etc associated with Young Justice and DC are not owned by me. I merely own the plot and unfamiliar characters/organizations and am not making any profit off this fiction venture._

* * *

**Chapter Rating: T**

**Chapter Synopsis: "****Team-Up between Anassa Mera and Aqualass bears fruit: Siren Supremacy leader Hen'aaa arrested" [Oneshot – fem!Kaldur, Mera, various OCs)**

**Verse: YJ-Maelstrom (wherein Kaldur is a cis female and there's lots of background created by moi)**

**Note(s): This could be combined with the earlier prompt Time…and the prompt Accusation. I don't even know. I wrote this with the prompt Seeking in mind but at this point it could encompass a few prompts.**

* * *

_**Chapter Warning(s): violence, city under capture, coarse language, terrorism, battle amputation, Sirens**_

* * *

**Seeking**

oOoOo

**seek**

[seek]_** verb, **_**sought, seek·ing.**

_**verb (used with object)**_

**1.** to go in search or quest of: _to seek the truth._

**2.** to try to find or discover by searching or questioning: _to seek the solution to a problem._

**3.** to try to obtain: _to seek fame._

**4.** to try or attempt (usually followed by an infinitive): _to seek to convince a person._

**5.** to go to: _to seek a place to rest._

oOoOo

The mission is simple.

Locate Hen'aaa. Capture Hen'aaa. Put her on trial on multiple charges of homicide, among others.

If Aqualass had been male she never would have been permitted to participate in the mission, let alone wind up working alongside Anassa Mera and one of the most elite Siren Hunting teams in Atlantis. She had never before quite been so glad to be female. This will be valuable experience.

Hen'aaa and her team have been causing chaos in Tritonis for the past six months, managing to nearly kill the woman in charge, King Atheal, four months ago. They've sent Tritonis spiralling into a position where the only people out on the streets are the soldiers on patrols, distributing supplies, investigating stealth attacks, or treating the victims of the Sirens.

With a crash course in how the Siren Supremacy groups operate under her belt, and the blessings of multiple trainers in addition to her contemporary and historical politics instructor, Aqualass managed to get Anassa to include her in the Tritonis emergency. Annex Orin had little protest in Aqualass' inclusion. Aqualass had a sneaking suspicion that Annex was just glad to have someone who could represent all of Atlantis included in the proceedings, since he couldn't go himself as Aquaman thanks to being male and therefore more vulnerable than his wife and protégé to the Sirens. Anassa represented the monarchy, Aqualass represented the rest of Atlantis, and Tritonis latched onto the pair the instant they landed in Tritonis.

The team in Tritonis trained to take out Sirens has been working overtime to try and pin down Hen'aaa and her team. Siren Hunting Teams from nearby city-states have been clamping down on their security measures and have offered some intel on Siren movements around their own city-states to assist the Tritonis team. Three months ago Anassa made a national statement shortly after arriving in Tritonis. With Aqualass in the background Anassa explained the situation to the Atlantean population. Within fourteen hours Atlanteans from across the country had created forums and groups supporting Tritonis. There were campaigns that exploded with the aim on trying to accelerate the military's work in Tritonis – which was mildly irritating to Aqualass, because they were working as quickly as they could, but she appreciated the intents behind said campaigns. She heard later from Tula and Garth that the instructors at the Conservatory had started focusing on the situation in Tritonis during their lessons, now that it had more of the public's attention. There was even, reportedly, some response from the surface-world's politicians - likely concern over what could happen if Hen'aaa and her Sirens succeeded in bringing and entire city-state down, they could, after all, move on to the surface - which Orin handled both as Annex and as Aquaman.

Captain Hussal, the leader of the largest Siren Hunting Team in Atlantis, was brought in two months ago at Anassa's recommendation, along with her team, (Linanna'al included which brought up some controversy thanks to Linanna'al being a Siren) to help speed up the process of finding Hen'aaa and her fellow Sirens. It wasn't a matter of bad intel, or of inferior training of the Tritonis Siren Hunting Team. It was a matter of people. The Tritonis team was too small to effectively handle a situation like this. They simply couldn't efficiently synthesize and analyse the amount of intel offered by other city-states while sending out patrols as often as they wished, and distributing supplies to the terrified civilians, and investigating stealth attacks, _while_ assisting in easing the burden off Tritonis' Healers and treating the victims of the Sirens, _while_ being conscious of the fact that they have to assist in keeping morale up. Additionally, every soldier who could be affected by Sirens had been relegated to handling the deskwork of the patrols, of the investigations, of the supplies distribution, of the casualties, and of the protection details on the most politically important people in Tritonis. This resulted in less soldiers than usual who could perform the legwork of the patrols, investigations, supplies distribution, casualties, protection details and such.

Anassa, Aqualass, Hussal and her team, as a result, were mainly there for a fresh set of eyes and more bodies. Although, with the public faces of Anassa and Aqualass, they also contributed and continue to contribute to morale and raising awareness of the situation for Atlanteans not of or around Tritonis.

The situation is rapidly escalating to a national emergency. Aqualass is getting more and more concerned.

There are patrols running 24/7 through Tritonis' barren, charred, cursed streets, trying to defend its people from the onslaught of Hen'aaa and her fellow Sirens. The few items said to help lessen the effect of the Sirens, their song and other abilities, have been selling out within seconds thanks to those brave enough to venture outside of their homes. There are few civilians on the streets normally these days. Usually, the only people on the streets are those on the patrols, distributing supplies to civilians, investigating stealth attacks by the Sirens somehow managing to live right beneath their eyes, treating the victims, offering condolences when possible, and anything else they can do to help the civilians and the investigation.

Aqualass stopped being frightened three months ago, a week after she arrived in Tritonis. Now she's just angry.

Tritonis is living in a state of perpetual fear. Their only staunch consolation had been that their leader, King Atheal, wasn't affected by the Sirens. Then, without using their various abilities, the Sirens managed to nearly kill King Atheal and destroy that consolation.

Hen'aaa and her team have managed to turn Tritonis into a city-state that fears its own shadow.

Aqualass wants the mission to end with Hen'aaa on the ground. Preferably, dead.

oOoOo

::: Door open, ::: Linanna'al reports.

Aqualass moves forward, the Tritonis soldiers following her silently. They were on a routine reconnaissance mission, looking into a possible Siren hideout a few miles outside the limits of Tritonis in a mountain where the door Linanna'al had just opened has been hidden for quite a while. That is, until they interrogated a recently captured Siren.

If it had been only Tritonis soldiers in the group the legality for going into the hideout would have been fuzzy and Hen'aaa could have taken advantage of some loopholes. With Aqualass there, along with Linanna'al, the legality is clear. They can investigate and, if necessary, judge, not under the justice of Tritonis but under the justice of Atlantis. It was a clever move proposed by Anassa that would give Hen'aaa or any other Siren Supremacy members significantly fewer loopholes to work their way out of being tried and sentenced.

It will also open the door for more aggressive interrogation techniques on prisoners which, Aqualass has no doubts, the Tritonis soldiers will get some satisfaction from. There have been 292 deaths in the past six months due to the Sirens and countless more injuries, both of the physical kind and not. The trauma Tritonis has suffered from this will stay with them for generations.

Aqualass taps Linanna'al's shoulder, keeping the silence necessary now, and Linanna'al moves forward. She's outfitted in the usual stealth uniform issued by the military, slightly modified for her unique features, and she's armed with standard-issue weapons. The Tritonis soldiers are armed the same and thanks to exposure to Linanna'al any possible affect the Sirens may have had on them – no matter how remote – is severely tempered.

Aqualass herself is wearing the same stealth uniform with the helmet and visor in lieu of her bright red Aqualass uniform. She carries her usual waterpack and bearers, but also carries the standard-issue weapons the others carry. She may only pose and appear with her waterpack and bearers in public, to the Atlanteans and the surface-world, but it would be foolish for her not to be trained in the use of every weapon the Atlantean military uses, and then some. When on missions such as this, ones that are not public, ones in which she does not have to present a particular image beyond one of competence, she tends to arm herself as advantageously as possible, despite her preference for her water-constructs.

Honour in battle may be important, but Aqualass will nearly always chose practicality over honour. Sometimes, being ruthless and armed to the teeth is necessary. Especially in situations such as this when your targets are responsible for turning an entire city-state into a prison.

The team splits apart, Linanna'al leading four Tritonis soldiers down one crooked corridor carved into the underwater mountain as Alpha. Aqualass turns down the opposite corridor beneath the mountain with four other Tritonis soldiers behind her – Nereia, Meina, Dia'nel and On'ine - as Beta. A third team, led by Lieutenant Kai'vain of the Tritonis team, heads down the third corridor as Gamma.

It's dark, unsurprisingly, but the Atlanteans can see in it easily, Nereia's and On'ine's eyes glow in the darkness, orbs of blue and red respectively without a pupil or any whites to break the colour. Meina, the lone "pure" member of their group taps Aqualass' back in the darkness, prompting the teenager to turn, questioning. With quick hand motions Meina explains.

_There were no caverns beneath this mountain, but we are going down, not up or level, but down, inside it._

Aqualass responds quickly, aware from the mission briefing that their Healer, Meina, had spent her childhood exploring the small tunnels at the base of the mountain. _You haven't seen these tunnels before?_

_No. _Meina responds, the rest of the team watching closely.

_It is getting wider. _On'ine notes. _We may be reaching a room below the mountain._

Aqualass nods and gives the quick signal for High Alert. The women respond immediately, their weapons raised again and their expressions resolute.

They swim another fifteen minutes and sure enough they begin to hear voices. They are all ethereal voices, the voices of spirits or waves, all speaking in a tongue the Tritonis soldiers have become accustomed to hearing through intel gathered.

The recorders are turned on and Aqualass pulls a tracking charm and a tracking pin from her belt. She moves forward with the rest of the team behind her. Once she reaches the edge of the corridor where it begins to curve to go further down into the room where the Sirens are gathered she pauses and places the charm and pin in the ceiling. Further down the curve she's certain there will be Siren guards. She crouches, and signals back to the team. Nereia moves forward at her signal, pulling out from her various communication equipment a long, thin, and tubular piece of tech with a small camera on the end of it. Lying on the ground she continues to pull the serpent-cam – as it was nicknamed by its creators – out of her pack, which is attached to her helmet and visor.

As the serpent-cam winds around the curve, close to the ground, Nereia signals rapidly with her free hand what she sees in the image taken by the serpent-cam and communicated to the tech in her helmet and visor.

_Two Targets._

_Sirens._

_Others beyond._

_Eating._

_FWISH! CRACK!_

The serpent-cam explodes, sending splinters of the tech through the water.

One of the Siren guards shouts in their language and Nereia shoots up, pressing the button to reel the ruined serpent-cam back into her pack and return her visor to normal viewing.

Aqualass orders sharply, "Defensible positions! Nereia, contact Alpha and Gamma!"

A blast of shocking energy collides with the wall beside On'ine. She hits the ground, rolling to the opposite side of the corridor while pulling up a magical shield as Meina and Dia'nel move forward.

Aqualass creates a water-shield and moves back to Nereia, covering her, "Get them on Manoeuvre 3."

Nereia nods rapidly as she breaks radio silence and establishes the connection between the teams, ::: Beta has Target Contact. Sending coordinates. Recommend Standard Manoeuvre 3 due to disadvantageous position and numerous targets. :::

The response is nearly instantaneous, ::: Standard Manoeuvre 3 against anything? :::

::: Affirmative, ::: Nereia confirms as Aqualass presses her leftover water-bearer against her shield and sends bolts at the approaching Sirens.

Alpha and Gamma confirm the message and their adjust in course.

"We're gonna be pushed back!" Dia'nel shouts. "Counting 16 at least!"

"Hold it!" Aqualass exclaims. "Hold this line!"

"Primary Target cited!" On'ina reports sharply, referring to Hen'aaa.

Dia'nel darts back, shouting in pain as an energy blast slams through her upper arm, sending blood and the bottom half of her arm flying. Her position is promptly replaced by Nereia and Aqualass moves forward, replacing Meina as the Healer moves back to attend to Dia'nel.

Dia'nel swears profusely, kicking the wall as Meina grabs what was once a complete arm and now is a stump.

"Let me kick her in the face," Dia'nel hisses as Meina staunches the blood flow with a quick cauterization and tourniquet.

"You got it," Meina agrees, grabbing the bottom half of Dia'nel's arm from where it had fallen and quickly saving it from becoming a dead limb with no chance of being reattached.

"How is she?" Aqualass questions, shooting over a shield On'ina had summoned.

"Lost her arm but she's still swearing at me!" Meina answers, pulling out some antibiotics. Dia'nel swears at her in response. "Should be able to be reattached!"

"Good!" Aqualass nods.

"Incoming!" On'ina shouts, her shield falling as a ball of energy soars through the water, right past their heads. "Shields!"

Instantly, shields are summoned, Meina summoning one for herself and Dia'nel while the others summon their own. Still, the blast sends them all crashing against the walls.

In the momentary commotion the Sirens move forward. A fist comes cracking across On'ina's jaw, sending her crashing further into the wall. Aqualass barely gets her blade up in time to block a Siren's and Nereia manages to get between Meina, Dia'nel, and a Siren to block an attack and retaliate with another that breaks the Siren's nose.

::: Need backup _now_, ::: Nereia shouts through their com-link in the quick lull between breaking the Siren's nose and the advance of another Siren.

Aqualass sends her water-blade sinking into the belly of a second Siren and spins, allowing that Siren to act as a shield and take the shots intended for her. She sends her foot into the gut of an advancing Siren and blocks the spear of another. She twists, sheathing her left water-bearer and keeping her right one up in the block. Her left hand snaps out, wrapping around the Siren's throat and sending a surge of electricity through her hand and into the Siren's body to knock her unconscious. As the electrocuted Siren falls Aqualass catches sight of the Primary Target, Hen'aaa.

"Primary at the back! She's got another exit!" Aqualass shouts.

Meina acts before Aqualass can and communicates that shout through their com-link.

_BOOM!_

The wall at the back of the room the Sirens called HQ explodes. Debris pour into the room, lit by magic and blasts from weapons.

"Oh thank Poseidon," Nereia mutters, breaking a Siren's arm as Alpha and Gamma flank the Sirens in Standard Manoeuvre 3.

oOoOo

Anassa Mera turns from the cell Hen'aaa is in and swims out of the lower level to the office King Atheal is in. Atheal looks up and smiles at Mera, "With the information gotten from this mission I've been told that my team will be able to locate and raid all other Siren hideouts in and around Tritonis."

"That is good news," Mera agrees. She looks to Aqualass standing at the left side of the office beside one of Atheal's bodyguards, Lieutenant Kai'vain, and Linanna'al, "Good job. Orin will be very proud of you." She focuses on Linanna'al and Kai'vain, "You as well. From what I heard, you got your teams to arrive precisely on time."

Kai'vain salutes Mera quickly. A smile spreads across Aqualass' face and she mimics Kai'vain's salute, "Thank you, Anassa."

Linanna'al salutes Mera quickly, her eyes flicking to Captain Hussal across the room, who smirks in response.

"And Dia'nel, have you heard of her status?" Atheal questions Aqualass.

"Yes ma'am, her arm is to be reattached soon and with some rehabilitation she will likely regain most, if not all, of its use," Aqualass answers.

"Wonderful," Atheal says, clapping her hands together. "Then we should be putting together an announcement of this success to Tritonis and Atlantis."

Mera nods, "Absolutely. Linanna'al, Aqualass, you both should be present to explain your findings along with Captain Hussal and Lieutenant Kai'vain."

Linanna'al, Aqualass, Hussal, and Kai'vain nod in acknowledgement. Within fifteen minutes Atheal and Mera are working, for once, personally with their advisors, Captain Hussal, Lieutenant Kai'vain, Linanna'al, and Aqualass in the creation of an announcement of the success that will remain sensitive to the continuing investigation into the remaining Siren Supremacy sects in and around Tritonis. Saying the wrong thing, or saying something at the wrong time, could make the investigation much more difficult than it needs to be.

It's not exactly what Aqualass had in mind when she considered the end of this mission, but she supposes it'll work. It's not Hen'aaa lying dead on the ground. Instead, it will be a demonstration to show that Tritonis, that no city-state in Atlantis, will ever break under the assault of a terrorist, of a killer, of a criminal, such as Hen'aaa. The demonstration may be a better ending.

Two weeks later she received an email explaining that Tritonis had succeeded in raiding and destroying the remaining Siren bases. The next day the official announcement was made of Hen'aaa's arrest and the reclaimed freedom of Tritonis. Aqualass doesn't read the articles that spring up from the announcement. She's supposed to be off-duty then, completely debriefed, and not reading something that will remind her immediately of Tritonis.

Of course, that calm doesn't last long. Not with Black Manta around.

* * *

_The Aconite Post_

_Oct. 1, 2009_

**Team-Up between Anassa Mera and Aqualass bears fruit: Siren Supremacy leader Hen'aaa arrested**

Today, Anassa Mera and the leader of Tritonis, Atheal, stood in front of all of Atlantis to announce that Siren Supremacy leader Hen'aaa was arrested. For the first time in months the streets of Tritonis were filled with people eagerly watching and listening as...

* * *

**A/N: **Look! A Noodle Incident that is now explained! It got away from me a tad...originally there wasn't going to be an entire city under effective capture, just a lot of deaths in one city. So Kalla's reaction to the article may seem a little odd (in Kalladura'ham 4 (ch6)) but by then I think she's been debriefed on the mission itself and is getting back to normal work. Conveniently, I did mention that she was off-duty then so we'll say that she got like...a week or two off after the debriefing process ended to get back to normal after the chaos that was Tritonis.

I feel so clever, using these prompts to expand on Kalla's backstory rather than risk spoiling future Maelstrom chapters.

**R&R**


	5. Accusation

**Story Note(s): This is a tribute to Kaldur Week (from Sept 29/30 – Oct 7, yes it's more than a week). Yes this is the last one and yes I got terribly behind. Shhhhh.**

**ALSO. Because all of these chapters involve Maelstrom Kalla I'm changing the title to 'Not a Mermaid' because 'Under the Sea' kills my soul a little bit each time I read it.**

**The titles for each chapter will be the prompt provided for the day.**

_All characters, settings etc associated with Young Justice and DC are not owned by me. I merely own the plot and unfamiliar characters/organizations and am not making any profit off this fiction venture._

* * *

**Chapter Rating: K+**

**Chapter Synopsis: ****La'gaan and Topo would never doubt Aqualass' loyalty. They are, after all, the co-founders of her fanclub.**

**Verse: YJ-Maelstrom (wherein Kaldur is a cis female and there's lots of background created by moi)**

* * *

_**Chapter Warning(s): none**_

* * *

**Accusation**

oOoOo

**ac·cu·sa·tion**

[ak-y_oo_-**zey**-sh_uh_n]

_**noun**_

**1.** a charge of wrongdoing; imputation of guilt or blame.

**2.** the specific offense charged: _The accusation is murder._

**3.** the act of accusing or state of being accused.

oOoOo

She is his idol. He's pretty sure that's obvious.

Whenever she does not look busy La'gaan tries to talk to her. La'gaan's pretty sure that she doesn't mind.

Maybe.

Neptune's Beard! What if he _is_ annoying her?

He doesn't want to do that. She shouldn't be annoyed by anyone. Well, except by criminals. But she punches those people in the face anyway.

It would hurt, being punched in the face by her, but he would probably still squeal or whoop or something because _Aqualass just punched him in the face how cool is that?! _

Answer: Very cool.

There is a very good reason that he is mildly frightened by the fact that he just swam into the room he shared with Topo – the guy he met through their shared fanboying over Aqualass and with whom founded the first Aqualass Fanclub on the planet – and saw a back familiar from times spent swimming to try and catch up to her. His mouth drops open.

Aqualass is in his bedroom.

Aqualass is in his _bedroom_.

Aqualass is in the bedroom that is the headquarters for the Aqualass Fanclub, with all of the homemade Aqualass memorabilia himself and Topo could make. They couldn't go to the surface yet. Firstly, his matim would probably kill him if he tried. Secondly, they have no way of getting to the surface. Thirdly, La'gaan rather doubts that the surface-world would much like a guy that looks like him, or one that looks like Topo. He's heard rumours that the surface-worlders are a bit like the Purists in that regard. He's often wondered if Aqualass has had to deal with stuff like that. He's never worked up the guts to ask her. Probably never will.

There is an Aqualass figurine sitting on his shelf with the left arm broken off from when it fell one day. He hasn't gotten around to fixing it yet. Aqualass should not be seeing that figurine, broken or not. What if she thinks it's creepy that he basically thinks that she is the coolest of the cool and the greatest thing since the phrase "Neptune's Beard"?

He adopted the phrase "Neptune's Beard" a week ago because, _Neptune's Beard_, he really wanted a beard, and yes, he was aware it was a stupid reason. Frankly, he didn't care. He just wanted to have a beard, stroke it, and look pensive. Maybe then people would take him seriously instead of looking at him and calling him "boy" all the time, even when he was obviously working hard during his lessons to try and get to the point where maybe when Aqualass stops being Aquaman's protégé she could be _his_ mentor and he could be a superhero. He could visit the surface-world then. See what it's all about.

Then Aqualass – or whatever she would be calling herself by then, maybe Aquawoman – would be teaching him a bunch of really cool stuff and letting him talk to people about how awesome Atlantis is.

Those thoughts run through his mind in an instant, as quick flashes, before he finds himself realizing quickly that Aqualass is in the room he shares with Topo because _Aqualass is talking to Topo_.

What.

A high-pitched squeak cuts through the air.

Aqualass and Topo turn, Aqualass with an eyebrow lifted and Topo looking concerned.

Wait.

He made that noise. He – La'gaan – actually _squeaked_.

Superheroes did not squeak! How was he supposed to be a superhero when he squeaked?!

"Are you well, La'gaan?" Aqualass questions, concern creasing her face as she leans forward.

La'gaan's eyes widen and he stiffens. _Aqualass is concerned about his well-being! She knows his name! His name!_

Aqualass pulls back immediately, "My apologies, I did not intend to make you uncomfortable."

La'gaan snaps out of it immediately and shakes his head, "No, I just I – you know my name?"

"Topo informed me of it," Aqualass says. "He mentioned that you would not mind if I used it."

"I…do not mind. I-" he stares at Topo, "_how_ do you know _her_?"

"She uh, spoke to my history class about the uh, importance of knowing Atlantis' history when dealing with missions," Topo explains.

"Topo mentioned that you wished to meet me," Aqualass adds, smiling at La'gaan. "I had some time, so I offered to come to the dormitories and meet you."

Her eyes flick to the Aqualass figurine with the broken arm. A wry smirk crosses her face as she looks back at La'gaan, "He also mentioned that you wish to become a protégé of Annex's."

"Er, not exactly, but, um, yeah," La'gaan stammers.

How was he supposed to tell his idol that he wanted _her_ to be his mentor, not Annex Orin? That was…that was probably against the law or something, to refuse the mentorship of Annex Orin in favour of Aqualass.

"How did you…I mean I know _how_ you become Aqualass, _everyone_ knows that," La'gaan says. "Annex Orin could have just ignored you though – not that he would have – but he could have and then you would not have…"

"One thing that is important for all in the superheroism field is being proactive," she explains. "You do not seek out trouble, of course. Do not seek out battles, but you are proactive in solving problems, you are proactive in starting movements. You must be able to operate independently. Annex Orin appreciates proactivity and independence in individuals, but also the ability to work in a group. Being adaptable is important."

"Okay," La'gaan nods quickly, "okay, yeah. I will remember that I…did you just give me advice?"

"That was the intent, did it not come across as such?"

"No! No, it did I just – I…" La'gaan trails off. "Why are you giving me advice? You think I could actually…you know, be a superhero?"

"Perhaps, one day," Aqualass responds. "I have faith in you."

La'gaan's mouth opens but no noise comes out. If he could die now he would die happy.

Aqualass glances back at Topo, "Do you have similar aspirations, Topo?"

Topo shakes his head, "Oh no, I would never be able to – I could not."

"What do you wish to do?"

"I think I would like to be a historian, or a…a sculptor."

"Perhaps you could record La'gaan's heroics for future generations to recall," Aqualass suggests, "or make a statue of La'gaan to put in his native city-state."

"A statue?!" La'gaan exclaims.

"That is always a possibility," Aqualass acknowledges. "Depending on what one accomplishes. You should never be pursuing superheroism for the glory though. In fact, some you protect may wind up hating you for your actions, accusing you of terrible deeds."

La'gaan nods seriously, "Right, got it. All about protecting people. Why would they hate you? You're _protecting _them."

"Sometimes, sacrifices must be made to protect those who cannot protect themselves, and one's reputation may suffer irreparably from such a sacrifice."

"La'gaan would never be one of those people," Topo remarks defensively. "_We_ would never doubt your actions as being for anything but the good of Atlantis."

"I appreciate that," she smiles. "Please, call me Kalla, both of you."

"Really?" La'gaan springs up, a broad grin spreading across his face. "You will let us call you by your civilian name?"

"Of course."

"Thanks, Aqua - I mean Kalla," Topo says softly, staring up at her with wide eyes.

"It is the least I could do for the co-Founders of my fanclub."

"Neptune's Beard! She knows about the fanclub?" La'gaan gapes at Topo. "How does she know about the fanclub?!"

Kalla cuts in, "Actually, La'gaan, I found out about it a few months ago, and not from Topo. I agreed to do the talk for Topo's history class partially so that I could meet the two of you."

"Oh. Wait," La'gaan stares at her. "You _wanted_ to meet us?"

"Yes, I was intrigued. I also agreed to assist Topo in his report on the history of Atlantean heroes. I was going to provide him with some anecdotes. It was also mentioned that you had a project on combat tactics that you were encountering some difficulties with. If you wish, I could try and help. I cannot promise anything but...I can try to help regardless."

A second high-pitched squeak emits from La'gaan's throat.

Topo grips La'gaan's arm and stares up at Kalla, stunned. No one _ever_ worked to willingly seek out him, or La'gaan for that matter, and here she was. Their idol. Having found them because she willingly sought them out. Plus, she agreed to help them with school projects.

Topo thinks he can understand why La'gaan is squeaking.

His report on the history of Atlantean heroes is going to be The Best Report Ever. He's never been this excited before.

* * *

**A/N: **Oh. I made myself sad. La'gaan you gave yourself the name Lagoon Boy 'cause you don't need the reassurance of not being called "boy" and having a beard because you know you're awesome and you don't need anyone else's validation even though your idol is evil and fuuuuuuuuuu and Topo you made a magical mosaic of Kaldur and then he went and got all Manta-eee so what happened to the mosaic - AND THESE ARE THE THINGS I NEED TO KNOW and AUGH.

Feelings for Atlanteans v 2.0.

But. All done! And yes, I skipped a couple prompts. School makes me busy.

**Thanks!**


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